oil and gas exports

Canada’s fossil fuel industry exports much of its output to the US. As the Trump administration intends to relax environmental laws and eliminate provisions requiring reduced GHG emissions, the US industry will enjoy a favourable legislative and regulatory climate over the next four years -to the possible disadvantage of Canada’s exports. In our January discussions … Read more…

“Canadian crude.” This is the language used in a new “mobile” website launched by the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Governments at the opening of the 2013 Energy and Mines Ministers Conference. Canadian Governments appear to have adopted the most generic description possible for bitumen that is wrenched or sucked from the earth in Northern Alberta

4RG and environmental organizations use the words “tar sands” as these words refer to the commodity that is actually extracted. The fossil fuel industry uses the words “oil sands”, as bitumen is ultimately processed into oil.

Tar sands bring to mind the words “dirty oil”. Even oil sands has negative overtones. If Canadian Governments succeed in introducing the generic term “Canadian Crude” it will successfully distance the product from its origins.